peer to peer

a16z-backed Eco unveils Beam, a P2P crypto transfer service aiming to be a ‘global Venmo’

The crypto payments space is seeing a surge of activity these days as developers strive to make decentralized finance as user-friendly as web2 experiences. Eco Inc., an a16z-backed payments startup th

‘The Merge’ could be good news for China’s Ethereum enthusiasts

When China banned cryptocurrency mining and trading, many saw it as putting an end to a burgeoning industry in the world’s second-largest economy. As it turned out, the country’s crypto i

Deposits banks $5M for its plug-and-play approach to financial product creation

The company enables its customers to quickly and easily create digital banking features without the need for developers.

Messaging app Viber launches Payments, a new digital wallet for paying bills, money transfers and buying goods

Viber, the messaging app owned by Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten, has long been dancing around the area of fintech, launching services like money transfer and chatbot payments in various countries

The Dogefather sends his regards

Welcome back to Chain Reaction. Last week, we looked at a crossover episode for meme investing. This week, we’re talking about Musk dumping tokens while holding onto others. You can get this new

Cloudflare outage hit crypto exchanges FTX, Bitfinex and more

A Cloudflare outage on Tuesday knocked out numerous popular web services, including major crypto exchanges FTX, Bitfinex and OKX, raising questions about the security of centralized crypto platforms.

Down bad

Welcome back to Chain Reaction. Last week, we talked about layoffs and the Winklevoss rock gods. This week, we’re looking at a new layer of crypto doom and gloom. Get this newsletter in your inb

Layoffs hit crypto and real estate tech particularly hard this week

Hey Siri, when does a “macroeconomic downturn” become a “recession”? It’s another bleak week for startups weathering dismal tech stocks and even worse cryptocurrency pric

Google for Startups deploys $4M of grant funding to 40 Black-led startups across Europe

In an effort to kick-start a greater number of Black tech founders in Europe, last year Google for Startups launched a $2 million (£1.5 million) grant fund to help tackle the quite obvious and stark

CyberConnect raises $15M Series A to put data back in the hands of users

One of the promises made by web3 entrepreneurs is putting data back in the hands of owners through decentralization. Palo Alto-based CyberConnect is among a handful of blockchain startups working to f

Digital bank Umba raises $15M, plans to expand into three new African markets

There’s no shortage of digital banks in Nigeria and, in general, in Africa. As the region continues to experience rapid growth in mobile usage and the corresponding growing young population, these f

Will Apple build its own blockchain?

Hello readers, and welcome back! Last week, I wrote about the issues facing Axie Infinity in the wake of a $625 million heist. This week, I’m talking about Apple and crypto. If you like my rambl

PayPal’s new credit card pays 3% cash back on all PayPal purchases

PayPal is revamping its co-branded PayPal Cashback Mastercard credit card, issued by Synchrony, which will now give users 3% cash back when they check out using PayPal and 2% cash back on all other Ma

London’s By Rotation is taking its P2P fashion rental app stateside

Fashion rental platforms had a tough time during the pandemic as in-person events evaporated and office workers ditched their smarts to collectively slip into comfy loungewear. But as the pandemic rec

Subspace Labs raises funding for a more scalable, sustainable blockchain

As the crypto space has grown in popularity, some of the most popular blockchains have struggled to meet user demand.  New projects are aiming to tackle issues like notoriously high energy use, hefty

Ukrainians turn to encrypted messengers, offline maps and Twitter amid Russian invasion

Ukrainians have turned to offline mapping and encrypted communication apps in the wake of the Russian invasion of their country, which is displacing millions who have left their homes to either fight

New modes of ownership: From torrents to music NFTs

Let’s take a breath and give creators room to explore this new space. And if IP law helps protect the new things that are being built, let’s applaud that.

Turo’s S-1 filing shows that unicorns can slingshot out of the pandemic

The Turo income statement, once we beat back some non-cash costs muddying its bottom line, has me impressed.

The rich get richer: Rethinking Bitcoin’s power as an inflation hedge

As the 1% seeks a greater slice of the crypto pie, there is an argument to be made that this might leave the market at the mercy of the 1%, contradicting Bitcoin’s intended vision.

Goldfinch raises $25M from a16z to power its DeFi lending protocol for borrowers in developing countries

For all of the excitement pulsing through the so-called web3 space in the past year, most of the heartiest sums of investor dollars have seemed to find their way toward products touching users in the
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